On Being Ready & Vigliant: A "Snapshot of Resources" & Gearing Up For 2014

The need to be ready and prepared is ever so critical.    We here @ South County Matters have been reflecting upon this as we have been gearing up for the upcoming year.   This is ever so critical in the wake of the aftermath of  Haiyan in the Philippines and as the Weather Channel reported severe thunder storms were due to hitting the Eastern Half of the United States.     Furthermore, the recent "ransomware" attack reported by the UK's National Crime Agency  underscores further the need to be aware and be ready.   As that was going on, we experienced Summer Like Heat for almost a week.   If anyone continues to deny Climate Change, they ought to get their head examined !!

As for disasters, it is not a question of if it is going to hit--but when.    In Southern California, the need to recognize to be ready for Earthquakes and other calamities is a fact of life.    There are many resources available for all to be aware--which we hope to investigate and think about going forward.   A summary of them are noted here for reference:

• http://www.ready.gov:  The FEMA guide to Preparedness
• http://www.earthquakecountry.info:  The Earthquake Country Alliance
• http://earthquake.usgs.gov:  USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
• http://ocgov.com/about/emergency/preparation:   Orange County prevention & preparation
• http://www.readyoc.org:  Ready OC--The Orange County Emergency Preparedness Resource
• http://www.healthdisasteroc.org:  On Health Disasters in Orange County
• http://www.ocfa.org:  Orange County Fire Authority
• http://www.oc-redcross.org: American Red Cross--Orange County Chapter

This is just a "sampling" of the myriad of resources deployed online to make sure all are given the tools to be ready.     What continues to be fascinating is the deployment of Technology to help facilitate this further.  We here @ South County Matters have been quite keen on the research done at MIT and led by Lalana Kagal on developing an app for people to monitor news feeds, connect with relief workers and broadcast alerts even with limited computer skills.     There are battery powered modems such as BRCK that allows all to switch seamlessly between Ethernet, Wi-Fi & mobile networks.    

On a daily basis, though, the need to be safe in a tough virtual World is ever so critical.    Britain's Sky News reported on "ransomware" that the National Crime Agency reported on.       Being proactive in how one manages one's online life is ever so critical.     There is one more very cool App which has been rolled out:  A Child ID App by the FBI.   It gives all the ability to store a Child's Information on their mobile device.  It is quite a cool device  We will be reviewing these resources over the ensuing weeks and months and assessing their viability for all to be able to 

The need to be aware, be ready and vigilant is ever so critical today as we bid farewell to 2013 and gear up for 2014.      We look forward to continuing onward with the deliberations here in South County Matters throughout the new year.

Onward :-)